1. Intellectual Learning: 

In this course, I have learned so many different aspects regarding identity, bias, equity, and the way peoples’ backgrounds influence essential things like their experiences. What I personally like about this course is that we do not only learn through basic tools like readings and presentations. We also participate in interactive games, class discussions, and activities that help us determine these topics in a more entertaining and practical way. I believe that one activity that stood out to me was in the interactive game related to Syrian refugees “Syrian Journey “. During this activity, we had to make so many decisions that were stressful while also having to face challenging consequences. This resulted in helping me think about how people in real life face these obstacles and how they are forced to make decisions under stress, anxiety, and fear. Also, this activity reminded me that in the real world many people face different situations than our own and we cannot always understand the logical reasoning behind their choices. 

One of the most entertaining activities that really affected my knowledge about life and its impact was the game Spent. We had to manage our money and we also had to survive until day 30. To be honest, this game increased my anxiety level because every decision mattered. This game made me feel responsible and scared that my choices may be wrong. Furthermore, during our class discussion, I shared that the game made me empathize more with people facing financial problems. It made me think about how stressful and overwhelming life can get and how hard it is to survive with limited resources. It also showed me how easy it is to judge people’s choices or decisions without understanding the circumstances of what they’re going through. This experience was very influential because it made me realize that we make assumptions in order to know what others are going through.  

Another activity that I considered and found interesting was an identity game we played in the garden. This game was very interactive, interesting, and enjoyable because it was very different from any activity we have done before in class. In this activity, we started by receiving papers representing different aspects of identity, such as religion, race and ethnicity. Then we went outside of class in the garden and we stood in a line where each of our classmates took a step forward depending on the question that was asked. Also, we believed that our assigned identity can allow us to do something. This activity helped me understand how peoples’ identities can influence their opportunities, experiences, and journey in life. However, even though we all participated in the same activity, we did not all end up in the same positions. This made me reflect about how some people may have more advantages than others. 

Moreover, Binna Kandola’s video, Diffusing Bias, taught me that we can form our own opinions and judgments about people without even realizing it. It made me think about how our backgrounds and experiences influence the way we intercept individuals around us. The video helped me understand the importance of recognizing our biases and questioning our first impressions. Thus, I have learned a lot of things in this course, but I still wonder how to fully stop stereotyping? I hope Soliya will help me discover and explore these questions by allowing me to listen to people with different cultures and backgrounds.  

2. Intrapersonal Learning: 

One thing this course has encouraged me to do is think more critically and carefully about myself and the way I view people around me. One important thing is that before discussing identity and bias in class, I did not always think about how many things can truly influence someone’s perspective. Another thing that I realized according to the class’s principles about this topic is that my opinions are shaped by my own background, experiences, and the environment I have grown up in, as these experiences feel normal or general to me. I might sometimes forget that someone else could have a totally different understanding or knowledge of the same situation. For instance, the identity activity in the garden especially made me reflect on how much of a person’s experience cannot be determined by simply looking at them. Everyone has different parts of themselves, this relates to their identity, and we cannot always know or predict how these things affect their journey in life. This pointed out to me a very important point which was mentioned before. This point is to always understand people as individuals and human beings with emotional value rather than just assuring them that they already know who they are based on their looks and personality. There are deeper meanings that tend to represent a person’s real identity. 

In order to understand myself better, I feel like learning about bias has definitely motivated me to question my assumption rather than only focusing on the biases of other people. This does not mean that I do not judge people totally, but this is something that is starting to improve in my character. The reason why I feel this way is because I never thought deeply about biases and people’s identity and how they could have deeper meanings in a way that affects their life. This is why I believe that this class is pointing out important aspects of life. I also know that I still have a lot to learn about myself, especially when it comes to understanding why I react to certain opinions in particular ways. During Soliya, I hope to become more aware of these reactions and learn how to efficiently approach unfamiliar points of views with an open mind. I also wonder how people from different backgrounds might react to me or how they might perceive me. I’m not certain about whether their first impressions would match how I see myself as a person. So again, I wish that during Soliya I understand my own identity including my reactions to others and learn more about myself by listening to perspectives that differ from my own ones.

3. Interpersonal: 

In addition, I have learned that interacting with others from different backgrounds requires more than accepting that the differences do exist. It also requires many things like listening, asking questions, and trying to understand why someone might think in a different way. For example, our class discussions, activities, and group work has given the opportunity to know the importance of hearing different perspectives instead of just relying on my own understanding and ideas. To me, in order to become a good global citizen I have to be open to learning from people around me and I have to treat people with full respect, even if we might disagree. This does not mean everyone must have the same exact opinion, well in fact, it means that people’s opinions can contradict each other, they should still be able to discuss them with respect. For this reason, during Soliyam I hope that I improve my ability to communicate with people from different cultures. I want to become more comfortable discussing unfamiliar topics, meanwhile, I want to ask questions respectfully when I do not understand a specific idea. I also hope to learn from peoples experiences because I do believe that hearing personal stories can teach and help understand opinions that we might not encounter in our everyday lives.

4. Discussing Palestine, Iran, and the Middle East During Soliya: 

I’m looking forward to discussing essential topics related to Palestine, Iran, and the Middle East during Soliya. However, I know that unfortunately these topics might be very sensitive because all participants could have different experiences, background and opinions as well. But if I could direct the discussion, I would want to make sure that everyone included in this discussion has the right to comfortably share their opinions respectfully without being misunderstood, judged, or personally attacked. In my opinion, I would like to encourage and motivate people to join the discussion by asking questions, listening, and learning from different perspectives. One of the most essential things that I would appreciate is a respectful facilitator, clear discussion, guidelines, and reliable historical information. Although, if the discussion becomes overwhelming, I hope that we would all pause in order to have a break and reflect on ourselves. Overall, I want the Soliya experience to help me listen with an open mind and learn from others, even if we might not totally agree.